PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Tell The Financial Times to Stand with Amnesty International, Not Shell
  1. Signatures
    520 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. Head of Advertising Sales, The Financial Times (Dominic Good)
  2. Created By
    Meredith Slater
    New York, NY
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

In an effort to point out the consquences of Shell's destructive policies in Nigeria, Amnesty International planned to run a hard-hitting ad earlier this week, contrasting Shell Nigeria's $9.8 billion profits with the consequences of pollution caused by the company in the Niger Delta.

The ad shows a champagne glass overflowing with oil, and reads: "While Shell toasts $9.8bn profits, the people of the Niger Delta are having to drink polluted water. They're also having to grow crops in polluted soil. To catch fish in polluted rivers. And to raise children in polluted homes. So if you've got shares in Shell, ask the board to explain themselves when they raise their glasses at today's agm. Cheers."

But the ad never ran in The Financial Times. At the last minute (4:58pm the day before, to be precise), the publication pulled it, claiming that "Editorially, the FT was more than willing to run the advertisement for Amnesty. Unfortunately, whilst Amnesty gave us written assurances that they would take full responsibility for the comments and opinions stated in the advertisement, it became apparent that Amnesty's lawyers had not had a proper opportunity to advise Amnesty on those opinions. As a result, from a legal perspective we were unable to rely on Amnesty's assurances."

Luckily for Amnesty International, The Metro and The Evening Standard had no problem running the ad.

Tell The Financial Times that their decision to pull the ad at the last moment was an irresponsible business decision, and one that could have left Amnesty in a lurch. Demand that they apologize to Amnesty International and the 2,000 donors who contributed to run this ad.

Photo Credit: Sosialistisk

Recent Signatures

Apologize to Amnesty International for Pulling its Ad

Dear Mr. Good,

It has recently come to my attention that your publication, The Financial Times, pulled out of running an advertisement by Amnesty International. This ad aimed to shed light on the human rights and environmental concerns associated with Shell Nigeria's operations in the Niger Delta. Not only did your publication decide not to run the ad, but you made that decision at 4:58pm the day before the ad was to run. Had "The Metro" not stepped up to the plate, this would have left Amnesty International in a lurch, given that the ad was purposefully designed to run the day of Shell's AGM in London.

I am writing to express my concern over this irresponsible business decision, and asking that you issue an apologize to Amnesty International and the 2,000 donors who gave money to support this advertisement.

I hope you will also think long and hard about the message you sent by refusing to run this Amnesty International ad in your publication.

I appreciate your attention to this matter.

[Your name]

Press Inquiries